R E S E A R C H   G U I D A N C E

Spanish
Genealogical Word List
   

Table of Contents
Language Characteristics
Additional Resources
Key Words
General Word List
     
Numbers
Dates And Time
     Months
     Days Of The Week
Racial Terminology

NUMBERS

The following list gives the cardinal (1, 2, 3, etc.) and the ordinal (1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.) versions of each number. In actual usage, days of the month are almost never written in ordinal form. Ordinal numbers end in o or a depending on the gender of the thing described. Ordinal numbers above 31 are rarely seen in genealogical sources.

Numbers such as 16, 22, and 31 are compound numbers joined by y (and). In modern Spanish, these numbers can also be written as a single word, for example:

16 diez y seis or dieciseis
22 veinte y dos or veintidos
31 treinta y uno or treintiuno

Cardinal Ordinal
1 un, uno, una 1st primero (a)
2 dos 2nd segundo
3 tres 3rd tercero
4 cuatro 4th cuarto
5 cinco 5th quinto
6 seis 6th sexto
7 siete 7th séptimo
8 ocho 8th octavo
9 nueve 9th nono, noveno
10 diez 10th décimo
11 once 11th undécimo, décimoprimero
12 doce 12th duodécimo, décimosegundo
13 trece 13th décimotercero
14 catorce 14th décimocuarto
15 quince 15th décimoquinto
16 diez y seis, dieciseis 16th décimosexto
17 diez y siete, diecisiete 17th décimo séptimo
18 diez y ocho, dieciocho 18th décimoctavo
19 diez y nueve, diecinueve 19th décimonono
20 veinte 20th vigésimo
21 veinte y uno, veintiuno 21st vigésimo primero
22 veinte y dos, veintidos 22nd vigésimo segundo
23 veinte y tres, veintitres 23rd vigésimo tercero
24 veinte y cuatro, veinticuatro 24th vigésimo cuarto
25 veinte y cinco, veinticinco 25th vigésimo quinto
26 veinte y seis, veintiseis 26th vigésimo sexto
27 veinte y siete, veintisiete 27th vigésimo séptimo
28 veinte y ocho, veintiocho 28th vigésimo octavo
29 veinte y nueve, veintinueve 29th vigésimo nono
30 treinta 30th trigésimo
31 treinta y uno 31st trigésimo primero
40 cuarenta 40th cuadragésimo
50 cincuenta 50th quincuagésimo
60 sesenta 60th sexagésimo
70 setenta 70th septuagésimo
80 ochenta 80th octogésimo
90 noventa 90th nonagésimo
-100 ciento 100th centésimo
-101 ciento uno 101st centésimo primero
-200 doscientos 200th ducentésimo
300 trescientos 300th tricentésimo
-400 cuatrocientos 400th cuadringéntesimo
-500 quinientos 500th quingentésimo
-600 seiscientos 600th sexcentésimo
-700 setecientos 700th septingentésimo
-800 ochocientos 800th octingentésimo
-900 novecientos 900th noningentésimo
1000 mil 1000th milésimo


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DATES AND TIME

In Spanish records, dates are usually written out. Although English uses ordinal numbers, such as the tenth of July or July 10th, in Spanish the cardinal numbers are almost always used for the days of the month; for example, el diez de julio (the ten of July). The one exception is the first of the month, for which the ordinal number primero (1ero) is almost always used instead of the cardinal number uno, for example:

A los veinte y tres días de marzo del año de nuestro Señor de mil ochocientos y treinta y seis.[On the twenty-three day of the month of March in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred thirty six.]
To understand Spanish dates, use the following lists as well as the preceding "Numbers" section.


Months

English Spanish Abbreviations
January enero enro, eno, 1ero
February febrero febo
March marzo mzo
April abril abl
May mayo  
June junio  
July julio  
August agosto ago, agto
September septiembre septe, 7bre
October octubre ote, otue, octue, 8bre
November noviembre novbre, 9bre
December diciembre dice, 10bre


Days of the Week

English Spanish
Sunday domingo
Monday lunes
Tuesday martes
Wednesday miércoles
Thursday jueves
Friday viernes
Saturday sábado


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RACIAL TERMINOLOGY

In colonial Latin America, racial classification was often recorded in the Catholic parish registers and government documents, often with no degree of accuracy. The meaning of some of these terms may vary in some Spanish-speaking countries.

Classification Racial Composition
Albarazado Cambujo and Mulato
Albino Spanish and Morisco
Allí te estás Chamizo and Mestizo
Barcino Albarazado and Mulato
Barnocino Albarazado and Mestizo
Calpamulato Zambaigo and Lobo
Cambujo Indian (¾) and Negro (¼)
Cambur Negro (½), Spanish (¼), and Indian (¼)
Castizo In Puerto Rico: Mestizo and Spanish. In Guatemala: Spanish and Indian (1/128)
Chamizo Coyote and Indian
Chino In Peru: Mulato and Indian
Cholo In Peru: Mestizo and Indian
Cimarrón In Mexico and Guatemala: Negro (½), Spanish (¼), and Indian (¼)
Coyote Spanish (½), Indian (3/8), and Negro (1/8)
Cuarteado Spanish (½), Indian (¼), and Negro (¼)
Cuarterón Spanish (¾) and Negro (¼)
Cuarterón de Chino In Peru: Spanish and Chino
Cuarterón de Mestize In Peru: Spanish and Mestizo
Cuarterón de Mulato In Peru: Spanish and Mulato
Cuatrero Indian (¾) and Spanish (¼)
Español Spanish
Español Criollo Colonial-born Spaniard
Indio Indian
Jíbaro Lobo and Indian
Ladino Spanish (¾) and Indian (¼)
Lobo Indian (¾) and Negro (¼)
Mestizo Spanish (½) and Indian (½)
Moreno Spanish (½), Indian (¼), and Negro (¼)
Morisco Spanish and Mulato. In Spain: a baptized Moor
Mulato Spanish (½) and Negro (½). In Chile and Colombia: can also be Indian and Negro
Negro African Black
Negro fino Negro (¾) and Spanish (¼)
No te entiende Tente en el aire and Mulato
No me toques Mixture of Spanish, Indian, and Negro
Ochavado Spanish (7/8) and Negro (1/8)
Pardo Indian (½), Spanish (¼), and Negro (¼)
Prieto Negro (7/8) and Spanish (1/8)
Quartarón See Cuarterón
Quinterón In Peru: Spanish and Cuarterón
Requinterón In Peru: Spanish and Quinterón
Salta atrás Spanish and Albino
Tente en el aire Calpamulato and Cambujo
Torna atrás No te entiende and Indian
Tresalvo Spanish (¾) and Negro (¼)
Zambaigo Spanish and Chino
Zambo In Peru: Negro and Mulato. In Venezuela: Indian (½) and Negro (½)
Zambo de Indio In Peru: Negro (½) and Indian (½)

Paper publication: Second edition 1997. English approval: 4/97.

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